Amber Wing holds at the verified observation station’s withdrawal edge. Nahuli stands beside Lahani at navigation, while the sealed observation record remains preserved in read-only storage.
The dark body’s nightside shadow ripples on passive sensors. A pirate ship uncloaks inside the lattice’s eleven-minute masking cycle, already aligned with Amber Wing’s route.
Nikayo
That approach was deliberate. They understand the lattice, and they are using the cycle to hide their thermal signature.
Disabling pulses flash across the route. Amber Wing shudders as several systems drop into protective mode, though the protected return vector remains outside the immediate strike pattern.
Lahani
I am holding manual control. The withdrawal edge is narrowing, and their pulses are herding us toward the disturbance.
Kiryati moves to weapons control and brings the four emitters online under local authority, keeping them unarmed. Ranuko isolates the affected systems from navigation and the return burn.
Kiryati
Weapons are ready. Their ship is masking another pulse behind the lattice cycle. Nahuli, we need a decision before the next alignment.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine the pirate ship's objective
✓ Quest Accepted
Engage the pirate
“What do they want? We don't have much of value”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Nahuli
What do they want? We do not have much of value.
Nahuli’s transmission cuts through the narrow-band interference. He keeps Amber Wing’s weapons unarmed while Lahani holds the withdrawal edge and Ranuko protects navigation and the return burn.
Lahani
They may want the observation record, our route, or simply a vessel they can control. None of those are worth surrendering.
Nikayo
Their pulses are probing for data access, not cargo mass. The sealed record remains untouched, and I am keeping every archive channel closed.
The next masking phase rolls across the lattice. Lahani uses its predictable distortion to break the pirate’s alignment, guiding Amber Wing along the verified withdrawal arc without entering the stronger field.
Kiryati
Their lock is gone. I am keeping the emitters ready, but there is no target worth firing on.
Amber Wing clears the lattice boundary and reaches open space beyond the pirate’s disabling pattern. The return vector stays protected, the observation record remains secure, and the pirate ship falls behind in the thermal shadow.
Quest Complete
Determine the pirate ship's objective
“Let the patrols know we got vermin about here. Keep your eyes peeled”
SUCCESS (Legendary Computers, rolled +2)
Nahuli
Patrols, Amber Wing reports vermin in the survey region. Keep your eyes peeled and watch for concealed traffic near the lattice.
The warning travels through the authenticated local relay, reaching the nearest patrol channels before the lattice’s masking cycle can bury it. Amber Wing’s route and sealed observation record remain undisclosed.
Lahani
Acknowledgment confirmed from two patrol beacons. They are widening their passive sweeps and keeping clear of our withdrawal lane.
Ranuko
Their receivers caught the alert cleanly. I am sealing the transmission trace and watching for any response that imitates patrol authority.
Kiryati keeps the emitters ready without arming them. Beyond the boundary, the pirate ship remains hidden in thermal shadow while new patrol scans begin to overlap the region.
Nikayo
The patrol sweeps are passive and independently timed. No additional craft has entered the field, but the pirate is still masking its position.
Lahani holds Amber Wing on the verified withdrawal edge. The patrols now know the threat is present, and every display remains fixed on the lattice, the pirate’s shadow, and the open return vector.